Category: Bots

You And The Robots

is here to stay. At least it seems that way. Ordering in food or flowers or getting your alarm going in the morning has never been easier, or more fun. As with every new development, there will always be a few negative things that will try to mess it up. The advent of bots has come with a number of advantages as well as disadvantages.

Bots have found their way into many spheres of our lives.

Marketing

Education

Healthcare

Lifestyle

Customers services

These fields and more have developed automation services or tasks that can be dealt with by virtual assistants. Socializing on social media has brought some significant reasons why you may need to find out how you can block bad bot traffic. That aside, there are many good things associated with bots.

Advantages

Bots have brought with them a world of good. Have a look:

They save time for the server and the customer or client and are also very convenient.

They save time and money for the business and this results in higher profits for the business. If you factor in online shopping, you will understand how much time you save by being able to do your orders from home. You do not need to make time during the course of the day to go shopping. All the browsing and testing and the time wastage that physical shopping brings can be avoided.

Should you get home in the dead of the night and you are either too tired to cook or there is nothing in the fridge, you can turn to the internet for a solution. Stores are open 24/7 and you can have food delivered to you at any time. That is quite a leap from the time when you would have to make a call or find that no stores were open past a certain time. As long as you can access the chatbots all you need to rememberis what you want to eat. In addition, you can browsefor restaurants that are open in your area without having to call anyone. Thus, no one knows where you are unless you choose to tell them.

There is nothing that tires a person as much as something that one has to do over and over again, every day. Imagine having to physically take down files, then put them back and having to repeat that throughout the day or even the week! One is bound to get bored. Automation takes care of such tasks for you as yousimply order your bot. You can then move on to other tasks. You get more done that way.

If you need your incoming information organized, bots help to make that happen in record time. The same happens with data organization.

When you are dealing with a lot of activities that are interrelated, it is easier and faster when there is a bot to handle them. Pushing buttons and getting information from myriads of sources and coordinating directions can be achieved so much fasterwhen one simply has to give orders.

Disadvantages

Below are a few disadvantages of the use of bots:

They cannot be effectively set to perform exact tasks and they can misunderstand instructions. One can set up more that one bot to deal with several tasks though.

If a customer makes an order that is beyond the bot’s scope of knowledge, that could be a problem, especially if there is no human to interpret the order or deal with such a situation should it crop up.

Some things cannot be taught. A chatbot, for instance, does not have the capability to interpret additional features of an order. It is only a human who can make adjustments if need be. It is therefore necessary to have a professional on hand to deal with issues that the bot may misunderstand.

The human touch is still necessary. Most humanbeings still prefer to deal with a fellow human with whom they can engage in some small talk as they take care of their order. It is also not possible as yet to automate all services. Some things like deliveries can only be done by humans.

There is the possibility of abuse from unscrupulous humans. You must have heard about how people get trolled online by others. For the longest time, it was assumed that there are a lot of humans on social media sites who have nothing better to do than start fights.

On the issue of trolls, it does seem that some humans are up to no good where others are concerned. However, it is a relief to know that such bots can be identified and furtherinteraction with them avoided. It is also good to know that one can get such reported and blocked as they tend to come up in the form of social media accounts.

Bots may be relatively new as of now, but there are developers who are working hard to make them better. Right now, the jury is out on whether they are really helpful or not. Many enterprise owners have embraced the use of bots in their businesses, especially for customer care purposes. That is definitely a sign of great things to come.

Conclusion

Bots are beginning to make their presence felt and not just in the social media circles. It would appear that they are most prone to abuse in those circles as people can easily make botaccounts for trolling purposes. That said, the development of bots cannot be pushed aside. It is just a matter of time before they take over all things to do with the internet. As the developers work on making better bots, you may continue to enjoy the privileges of shopping online and getting your data synchronized in record time.

Automation is here to stay. At least it seems that way. Ordering in food or flowers or getting your alarm going in the morning has never been easier, or more fun. As with every new development, there will always be a few negative things that will try to mess it up. The advent of bots has come with a number of advantages as well as disadvantages.

Bots have found their way into many spheres of our lives.

Marketing

Education

Healthcare

Lifestyle

Customers services

These fields and more have developed automation services or tasks that can be dealt with by virtual assistants. Socializing on social media has brought some significant reasons why you may need to find out how you can block bad bot traffic. That aside, there are many good things associated with bots.

Advantages

Bots have brought with them a world of good. Have a look:

They save time for the server and the customer or client and are also very convenient.

They save time and money for the business and this results in higher profits for the business. If you factor in online shopping, you will understand how much time you save by being able to do your orders from home. You do not need to make time during the course of the day to go shopping. All the browsing and testing and the time wastage that physical shopping brings can be avoided.

Should you get home in the dead of the night and you are either too tired to cook or there is nothing in the fridge, you can turn to the internet for a solution. Stores are open 24/7 and you can have food delivered to you at any time. That is quite a leap from the time when you would have to make a call or find that no stores were open past a certain time. As long as you can access the chatbots all you need to rememberis what you want to eat. In addition, you can browsefor restaurants that are open in your area without having to call anyone. Thus, no one knows where you are unless you choose to tell them.

There is nothing that tires a person as much as something that one has to do over and over again, every day. Imagine having to physically take down files, then put them back and having to repeat that throughout the day or even the week! One is bound to get bored. Automation takes care of such tasks for you as yousimply order your bot. You can then move on to other tasks. You get more done that way.

If you need your incoming information organized, bots help to make that happen in record time. The same happens with data organization.

When you are dealing with a lot of activities that are interrelated, it is easier and faster when there is a bot to handle them. Pushing buttons and getting information from myriads of sources and coordinating directions can be achieved so much fasterwhen one simply has to give orders.

Disadvantages

Below are a few disadvantages of the use of bots:

They cannot be effectively set to perform exact tasks and they can misunderstand instructions. One can set up more that one bot to deal with several tasks though.

If a customer makes an order that is beyond the bot’s scope of knowledge, that could be a problem, especially if there is no human to interpret the order or deal with such a situation should it crop up.

Some things cannot be taught. A chatbot, for instance, does not have the capability to interpret additional features of an order. It is only a human who can make adjustments if need be. It is therefore necessary to have a professional on hand to deal with issues that the bot may misunderstand.

The human touch is still necessary. Most humanbeings still prefer to deal with a fellow human with whom they can engage in some small talk as they take care of their order. It is also not possible as yet to automate all services. Some things like deliveries can only be done by humans.

There is the possibility of abuse from unscrupulous humans. You must have heard about how people get trolled online by others. For the longest time, it was assumed that there are a lot of humans on social media sites who have nothing better to do than start fights.

On the issue of trolls, it does seem that some humans are up to no good where others are concerned. However, it is a relief to know that such bots can be identified and furtherinteraction with them avoided. It is also good to know that one can get such reported and blocked as they tend to come up in the form of social media accounts.

Bots may be relatively new as of now, but there are developers who are working hard to make them better. Right now, the jury is out on whether they are really helpful or not. Many enterprise owners have embraced the use of bots in their businesses, especially for customer care purposes. That is definitely a sign of great things to come.

Conclusion

Bots are beginning to make their presence felt and not just in the social media circles. It would appear that they are most prone to abuse in those circles as people can easily make botaccounts for trolling purposes. That said, the development of bots cannot be pushed aside. It is just a matter of time before they take over all things to do with the internet. As the developers work on making better bots, you may continue to enjoy the privileges of shopping online and getting your data synchronized in record time.

Will Banks Use More Robots

The use of Robo advisors is gaining prominence in mainstream banking circles. Clients have several options available to them when picking investment products. These include the go-it-alone approach where individuals are responsible for the management of their own portfolio of stocks, bonds, cash, indices, commodities etc. This option is best suited to professionals, or investors who understand the intricacies of the financial markets.

The other option is a choice between using traditional banks and investment gurus on the one hand, or the modern-day upgrades with things like discount brokerages. While there is certainly merit in all of these options, many investors are not totally sold on either option. A fusion of these investment possibilities which encompasses online advice with a self-directed brokerage is increasingly preferred by clients.

Fintech Disrupting Traditional Banking

FinTechhas dramatically revolutionized the investment landscape, and banking operations are front and centre. New-age investors prefer having a say in how their money is managed, and this need has not been fully satisfied with the options listed above. Instead, clients prefer hybrid options known as Robo advisors. The concept of a Robo advisor is largely misunderstood by mainstream investors. A Robo advisor does not remove the human element from investing and portfolio management.

True to form, Robo advisors do not require clients to meet with investment gurus face-to-face. It is a convenience-based element at play, and one that makes it easier for anyone to instantly initiate trades at the click of a button. Most of the communication via Robo advisors is conducted through secure online connections and chat services such as Skype, messenger, and the like.

More Control Over Financial Portfolios

The Canadian investment scene is slowly adapting to this modern-day technology, but only the Bank of Montréal has infused Robo advisor technology as part of its investments toolkit. FinTech is leaps and bounds ahead of traditional banking. It is a major disruptive force in the financial world, and it caters to a large under-banked or unbanked sector of society. In Canada, the US and across Europe, clients are looking for easier ways to manage their financial portfolios, while still maintaining control over trades that are executed.

The conventional system of entrusting all of one’s finances to a fund manager with a bias towards certain stocks, ETFs or mutual funds is losing traction. Today, investors want to have a modicum of control over their portfolio, and they don’t want the emotional component, or the bias via the investment advisor. A Robo advisor serves this purpose well. Provided the range of financial assets available to the client is all-encompassing, a Robo advisor can pick the appropriate stocks based on client specifications. Hard data is analysed instantly, and the best investment options are provided to the client.

Robo Advisors with Canadian Banks

The do-it-yourself model cannot be ignored by banks for much longer. The explosive growth of FinTech investment paradigms has already caused multiple banks like HSBC, Barclays, Standard Chartered, Goldman Sachs and others to stand up and take notice. Banks are implementing protocols to allow Robo advisors as part of their investment toolkit. One of the leading asset management companies is BMO. What many clients don’t know, is that BMO also has a robo advisor. Through use of this modern-day technology, BMO can now offer exchange traded funds across multiple portfolios.

It is the oldest bank in Canada, and also the first to adopt new-age technologies. Clients can easily synchronize their BMO online banking summary with their investment accounts for maximum functionality. A wide range of exchange traded funds is available, and the provision of Robo advisors makes it easy to use SmartFolio accounts. Account types include RRSP, TFSA, and RESP. By allowing customers to personalize their financial portfolios, it’s akin to a Robo advisor. This is the way Canadian investors are choosing to go, and many other big banks are now taking notice.